The present invention relates to fittings or couplings for interconnecting conduits such as pipes or tubes, and more particularly to a novel coupling of unitary construction which permits close packing of tubes in an assembly.
In various types of heat exchangers, it is necessary that a given length of conduit be provided in order to meet certain design criteria. In order to conserve space, it is known to design heat exchangers so that the conduit is formed as a continuous sinuous or serpentine tube. While this construction permits a given length of conduit to be compressed into a smaller area, it is readily apparent that those portions of the conduit which are bent to form the serpentine configuration limit the extent to which the adjacent portions of the conduit can be placed side by side. Stated differently, a smooth bend must be provided which necessarily dictates that adjacent passes of the conduit cannot be closely packed.
In other forms of heat exchangers, such as evaporators and condensers, a construction known as shell-and-tube is employed wherein a shell is provided with a bundle of tubes extending throughout its length. Headers are mounted on each end of the shell and provide regions of fluid interchange between the tubes. While the tubes may be more closely positioned than with the aforementioned serpentine construction, it is apparent that the headers may involve rather large constructions which must be specially fabricated.
In solar collecting devices, it is desirable to position an array of conduits or tubes as close together as possible in order to conserve space as well as to provide more effective heat transfer. Known solar collecting apparatus utilizing solar collecting tubes are generally constructed with either serpentine tubes or a shell-and-tube construction.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an assembly of interconnected conduits in which close packing or spacing of a conduit bundle is achieved by use of a novel coupling for interconnecting conduit pairs.
More particularly, the assembly of the present invention contemplates that a pair of interconnected conduits are each provided with an aperture extending through the wall thickness of the conduit. The coupling includes a passage and interconnects the apertures for permitting fluid flow between the conduits. Similarly, a bundle of conduits may be interconnected so that fluid flow may pass from successive conduits.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coupling having opposed wall surfaces which are contoured for snugly receiving a conduit. For instance, each of the wall surfaces may be formed as a portion of a right cylinder having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of a cylindrical conduit. Thus, the conduits may be adhered to an associated wall surface of the coupling with the apertures in the conduits aligned with the passage through the coupling.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coupling which will replace the conventional T-fitting. More specifically, in another embodiment of the present invention it is contemplated that the coupling be provided with opposed wall surfaces, each having a contour defining a portion of a right cylinder, in which the longitudinal axes of the cylinders are positioned at right angles to one another. Thus, when conduits provided with apertures, as described above, are positioned adjacent the passage in the coupling, a T-fitting is provided.
These and additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from a consideration of the drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.